大学学习之道——驾驭校园系统（上）

Beginning of the semester is thinking-ahead time. And one good thing to think about is how to beat – er, we mean navigate – the system. You know, little tips and tricks that you might not have thought of that will put you ahead of the pack. Or at least ahead of where you would have been without them. Here are our ten best tips for navigating the college system:

1. Go beyond the “standard program.”

Many times your adviser will hand you the “standard” or “recommended” program at the start of the semester. Don’t sign on without carefully probing alternatives. Often, especially if you’re proficient in a subject, you can substitute a higher level course for the basic offering. And often, even within your major, you can get a course more suited to you interests, if you take the time to research the alternatives and to speak up. So speak up; the “system” isn’t going to do it for you.

Sometimes (though not always) it’s possible to use a single course for a variety of purposes. It could be that one offering works for both your major and minor, or can satisfy two distribution requirements. And, if you have AP or IB credits that, for one reason or other, haven’t been posted to your transcript, make sure you reach out to the registrar to get them added. It’s very common, especially at a large state university or community college, for these kinds of credits to fall through the cracks, so round them up and get yourself that much closer to graduation.

At many schools there’s a waiting list to get into large intro courses and into specialized courses required for the major (statistics, for example). If you’re way down the list, go see the professor and explain to him or her your special interest in taking this course — not to mention how much you’d like to take it from him or her, who you’ve heard is an especially good teacher, etc., etc.. At many schools professors have considerable discretion in giving overrides, so try your luck when possible. If you’re a graduating senior or if the course is a prerequisite for some more specialized course, you might have additional leverage. Use it.

At many colleges much of the learning (especially the part that you’re responsible for) takes place online. Depending on your course and school, this might involve a class webpage (on Blackboard or equivalent), e-resources (at the library), or even a class facebook page. Whatever the case, make sure you know how to navigate all the features that are offered. And if you’re signed up for an online course or a MOOC, be 100% sure that you study the online materials, especially all the requirements and resources (be sure to look for ancillary tabs and links on the left and the top of the screen). You wouldn’t want to find out halfway through the course that there were virtual discussion sections with required comments that you didn’t even know about – and that counted 40% of the grade.

Though you might not have thought about it, in-person office hours are a thing of the past at many colleges. Now there’s emailing and Skyping the prof or TA. Many professors openly invite students to send in questions and comments. But what sometimes isn’t as heavily advertised is that many professors are willing to review drafts of papers for comments in advance of the due date—and to give you can helpful suggestions, free of charge, on how to make your paper better, and, in the process, get a better grade! A no-brainer if your prof is willing and you’re organized enough to do it.